Abstract
The scholarship on foreign language (FL) learning and teaching shows various ways Web 2.0 technologies are used to promote and ease communication and gives access to and cultural exchange of information, which are the main purposes of language learning. Despite prolific examination of strategies and impact of Web 2.0 to enhance language learning, researchers have not yet sufficiently examined technology practices initiated by students themselves to support their FL experiences and the awareness of this use. The present study reports on the findings of an exploratory survey research project that investigated university students’ activities to use Web 2.0 sites to support their FL learning and awareness of those practices. Moreover, the study attempts to analyze students’ reported actions through the framework of 5 Cs (communication, comparison, communities, cultures, connections) of ACTFL (American Council of Teaching on Foreign Languages). The data collected from 137 FL students revealed that students are moderately engaged with Web 2.0 technologies in their FL learning practices and use such tools primarily for comparing the foreign language and culture to the native language and culture in different mediums. “Video sharing” and “Social Networking” were reported as favorite tools to use supporting students’ foreign language learning experience. Keywords : ACTFL standards, foreign language learning, social media, Web 2.0
Highlights
Digital environment has vigorously reshaped different facets of our lives: the way we communicate, acquire, process and deliver information and Vol 6 No 1 (June 2019)Practices in Foreign Language Learning the way we teach and learn
Information gained from this study is helpful to cast the light on students’ initiatives to use web 2.0 in foreign language learning and whether those activities correspond with the ACTFL standards of foreign language learning
While about 81% of the respondents said that they use such online tools at least once a day, 77.6% of the participants agreed to use Web 2.0 to enrich their foreign language learning experience
Summary
Digital environment has vigorously reshaped different facets of our lives: the way we communicate, acquire, process and deliver information and Vol 6 No 1 (June 2019). Despite many studies focusing on possible impacts of individual Web 2.0 tools to enhance language learning and various language skills, researchers have not yet sufficiently examined technology practices initiated by students themselves to support their foreign language experiences. Information gained from this study is helpful to cast the light on students’ initiatives to use web 2.0 in foreign language learning and whether those activities correspond with the ACTFL standards of foreign language learning. The findings from this study provide valuable information for foreign language educators about the potential and the ways of Web 2.0 use in their instruction. The present investigation was aimed to examine students’ Web 2.0 practices to to enrich their foreign language learning experiences, to acquire knowledge and master foreign language skills. What specific learning activities do the FL learners engage in by means of Web 2.0?
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